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United States Patent |
5,715,890
|
Nolen
|
February 10, 1998
|
Determing fluid levels in wells with flow induced pressure pulses
Abstract
An acoustic method is disclosed for measuring fluid level in producing
wells and other inaccessible cavities. The method uses flow induced
pressure phenomena to locate the fluid level. Simplified equipment is
involved and acoustic velocities can be measured externally from the well.
The method applies to known uses for fluid levels such as well
productivity, lift equipment design, and reservoir studies.
Inventors:
|
Nolen; Kenneth B. (3507 Cardinal La., Midland, TX 79707)
|
Appl. No.:
|
571412 |
Filed:
|
December 13, 1995 |
Current U.S. Class: |
166/250.03; 73/152.55; 73/290V; 367/908 |
Intern'l Class: |
E21B 047/04 |
Field of Search: |
166/250.03
73/290 V,152.01,152.55
367/99,908
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
2560911 | Jul., 1951 | Wolf | 367/908.
|
4125163 | Nov., 1978 | Fitzpatrick | 166/250.
|
4391135 | Jul., 1983 | Godbey et al. | 73/152.
|
4637463 | Jan., 1987 | McCoy | 160/250.
|
4793178 | Dec., 1988 | Ahern et al.
| |
4853901 | Aug., 1989 | Barber.
| |
4934186 | Jun., 1990 | McCoy | 73/290.
|
5092167 | Mar., 1992 | Finley et al. | 73/152.
|
5117399 | May., 1992 | McCoy et al.
| |
5130950 | Jul., 1992 | Orban et al. | 73/152.
|
Other References
Diagnostic Services Incorporated; ST*R Sounder User Guide, Copyright 1988,
1989 United States, pp. 135 and 136.
|
Primary Examiner: Dang; Hoang C.
Claims
What I claim is:
1. A method for measuring the speed of sound in a gaseous medium existing
in the annulus between the casing and production tubing in a producing
well said method comprising:
filling a section of small tubing with a representative sample of gas
obtained from the annulus;
measuring the temperature and pressure of said sample of gas;
creating a pressure wave in said sample of gas by quickly venting a small
portion of the gas from one end of the tubing;
measuring the time of origination of said pressure wave at the emitting
end;
measuring the time of arrival of the reflected pressure wave after it has
traveled the length of the small tubing and has returned to the point of
origination;
determining the round trip travel time of the pressure wave by subtracting
the time of origination from the time of arrival of the reflected wave;
calculating the speed of sound within the gaseous medium by dividing twice
the linear length of the small tubing by the round trip time so measured;
and
storing the measured speed of sound for later use in determining the fluid
level in the well.
2. A method of measuring the fluid level in a well, said well having a
casing and a production tubing string disposed within the casing, the
annulus between the casing and tubing being filled with a gaseous mixture
at the top and fluid at the bottom:
closing the well casing;
measuring the temperature and pressure of said gaseous mixture in the
annulus at the surface;
computing the temperature and pressure of gas in the annulus at a selected
depth in the well;
adjusting the speed of sound obtained using the method of claim 1 for
temperature and pressure conditions in the well annulus at the selected
depth;
creating a pressure wave in said annulus by quickly venting a small portion
of the gas from the annulus to the atmosphere;
measuring the time of origination of said pressure wave;
measuring the time of arrival of the reflected pressure wave after it has
traveled to the top of the fluid in the annulus and has returned to the
point of origination;
determining the round trip travel time of the pressure wave by subtracting
the time of origination from the time of arrival of the reflected wave;
calculating the distance from the point of origination of the pressure wave
to the top of fluid in the annulus by multiplying one half the round trip
time by the aforecomputed speed of sound; and
storing the fluid level so measured for later use in operating the well
optimally.
3. A method of measuring the fluid level in a well, said well having casing
and a production tubing string disposed within the casing, at the annulus
between the casing and tubing being filled with a gaseous mixture at the
top and fluid at the bottom:
closing the well casing;
measuring the temperature and pressure of the gaseous mixture in the well
annulus at the surface;
creating a pressure wave in said gaseous mixture by quickly venting a small
portion of the gaseous mixture from the casing to the atmosphere;
measuring the time of origination of said pressure wave;
measuring the time of arrival of a pressure wave after it has reflected
from a known or assumed marker the depth of which is known or assumed and
has returned to the point of origination;
determining the round trip travel time of the pressure wave by subtracting
the time of origination from the time of arrival of the reflected wave;
calculating the velocity of sound by dividing twice the known or assumed
depth by the measured round trip time;
comparing the velocity of sound obtained using the method of claim 1 with
the calculated velocity and adjusting the velocity of sound obtained using
the method of claim 1 to correct for temperature and pressure; and,
storing the adjusted velocity of sound so determined for used in later
fluid level measurements.
4. A method of measuring the fluid level in a well said well having a
casing and a production tubing disposed within the casing, the annulus
between the casing and tubing being filled with a gas at the top and fluid
at the bottom, said method comprising:
closing the well casing;
measuring the temperature and pressure of said gas in the well annulus at
the surface;
computing the temperature and pressure of gas in the annulus at a
multiplicity (n+1) of depths D.sub.i (i=0,1,2, . . . n) spaced dD feet
apart in the well;
adjusting the speed of sound obtained using the method of claim 1 for
temperature and pressure variations in the well annulus at the
multiplicity of depths D.sub.i (i=0,1,2, . . . n), the speeds of sound at
said depths being V.sub.i (i=0,1,2, . . . n);
creating a pressure wave in said casing gas by quickly venting a small
portion of the gas from the casing to the atmosphere;
measuring the time of origination (T.sub.o =J.sub.o dT) of said pressure
wave wherein dT is the time between pressure wave samples;
measuring the time of arrival (T.sub.a =J.sub.a dT) of the reflected
pressure wave after it has traveled to the top of the fluid in the annulus
and has returned to the point of origination;
calculating the distance X from the surface point of origination of the
pressure wave to the top of fluid in the well considering variation of
velocity with depth from
X=0.5 (J-J.sub.o) dT V (J=J.sub.o,J.sub.o+1, . . . J.sub.a)
wherein V is chosen to be V.sub.k accordingly if
D.sub.k-1 <X<D.sub.k ;
and
storing the fluid level so measured for later use in operating the well
optimally.
5. A method of measuring the depth to fluid in a well having a casing and a
production tubing disposed in the annulus between the casing and tubing
being filled with gas at the top and fluid at the bottom, said method
comprising:
closing the well casing;
measuring the temperature and pressure of said gas in the well casing at
the surface;
computing the temperature and pressure of gas in the casing at at least one
selected depth;
adjusting the speed of sound obtained using the method of claim 1 for
temperature and pressure variations in the well casing at at least one
depth;
creating a pressure wave in the casing by discharging compressed gas into
the well casing;
measuring the time of origination of said pressure wave;
measuring the time of arrival of the reflected pressure wave after it has
traveled to the top of the fluid in the casing and has returned to the
point of origination;
determining the round trip travel time of the pressure wave by subtracting
the time of origination from the time of arrival of the reflected wave;
calculating the distance from the surface to the top of fluid in the well;
and
storing the fluid level so measured for later use in operating the well
optimally.
6. A method for measuring the speed of sound in a gaseous medium existing
in the annulus between the casing and production tubing in a producing
well, said method comprising:
filling a section of small tubing with a representative sample of gas
obtained from the annulus;
measuring the temperature and pressure of said sample of gas;
creating a pressure wave in said sample of gas at one end of said tubing;
measuring the time of origination of said pressure wave at the one end of
said tubing;
measuring the time of arrival of the reflected pressure wave after it has
traveled the length of the small tubing and has returned to the one end of
said tubing;
determining the round trip travel time of the pressure wave by subtracting
the time of origination from the time of arrival of the reflected wave;
calculating the speed of sound within the gaseous medium by dividing twice
the linear length of the small tubing by the round trip time so measured;
and
storing the measured speed of sound for later use in determining the fluid
level in the well.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Knowledge of reservoir pressure is important in the production of oil
wells. When this pressure is high enough, fluids from the reservoir are
pushed to the surface with energy supplied by the reservoir alone. In this
case the well is said to be a `flowing well`. But when this pressure
diminishes, artificial lift equipment must be installed to raise fluid to
the surface. The depth from which the fluid must be lifted is directly
related to reservoir pressure and affects the size of lift equipment
required. Fluid level is also an important parameter in determining the
maximum production capability of a well. If fluid is pushed by reservoir
pressure to a level near the surface, little additional lifting energy
must be supplied by pumping equipment. Also a fluid level near the surface
indicates a well with high reservoir pressure which is capable of more
production if pumped more aggressively. If, on the other hand, reservoir
pressure is low and the fluid level is far below the surface, the pumping
equipment will have to supply most of the lifting energy. The low
reservoir pressure and the related deep fluid level means that the well is
producing near its capacity. The end point is reached when reservoir
pressure is so low that the fluid level is virtually at downhole pump
depth. In this case the well would be producing at its maximum rate at
that pump depth. It would be termed as `pumped off`.
The foregoing discussion reveals that measurement of the fluid level in a
well is an important activity in determining the size of lift equipment
required and in determining the well's productive capability. The fluid
level can be expressed 1) as the distance downward from the surface or 2)
as the fluid submergence above the reservoir or downhole pump.
Measurement of fluid level has been accomplished by acoustic means for many
years. Well casing is set to reach or penetrate a productive reservoir and
segmented production tubing is run inside of the casing. The tubing
contains a downhole pump whose purpose is to lift fluid (oil, water and
gas) to the surface. Depending upon the type of downhole pump in use,
energy can be supplied by means of sucker rods or by electrical conductors
or by pressurized fluid, among others. The segmented tubing is joined with
screw connections which are larger than the outside diameter of the
tubing. These form small obstructions to acoustic phenomena traveling in
the casing-tubing annulus.
To measure the fluid level acoustically, a noise is induced in the casing
at the surface. The sound is usually created by discharging gunpowder or
by releasing pressurized gas such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen into the
casing. The initial `blast` and subsequent echos are sensed by microphone
and amplification equipment. These signals are then recorded versus time
on a fast running strip chart plotting device. The sound disturbance
travels downward in the casing until it reaches the top of the fluid
column in the casing-tubing annulus. Thereafter the sound disturbance
reflects upward to the surface where its arrival is recorded by the strip
chart device. The round trip time T (measured from the initial blast to
the top of fluid thence to the surface again) is used to calculate the
distance from the surface to the fluid by means of the formula
H=0.5 V T 1
where
H=distance from the surface to the fluid top, ft
V=velocity of sound in the gaseous medium filling the casing above the
fluid level, ft/sec
T=round trip time (from the initial blast to the top of fluid thence to the
surface again), sec.
A variety of ways for determining the velocity of sound are known to those
familiar with the art of measuring fluid levels, such as
1. Inferring velocity from the rate at which echos are received from
connections in the segmented tubing. The distance (or at least the average
distance) between connections, i.e. tubing joint length, is known and the
velocity of sound can be calculated. This is the most commonly used
method.
2. Using theoretical relationships between velocity, pressure, temperature
and gas composition.
3. Inferring velocity from the measured round trip time to a downhole
obstruction the depth of which is known and whose echo can be identified
in the record.
In shallower wells it is sometimes possible to sense echos of tubing
connections continuously from the surface to the fluid level. The fluid
level can then be determined without measuring velocity according to the
simple formula
H=N L.sub.a 2
where
H=distance from the surface to the fluid top, ft
N=total number of tubing joints counted from initial blast to fluid level
echo
L.sub.a =average length of the segmented tubing joints, ft.
In deeper wells and in wells in which `hearing` is poor, it is usually not
possible to receive echos from every tubing connection from the surface to
the fluid level. In these cases, the velocity is inferred using echos from
the shallower tubing connections which are still discernable and equation
1 is used to calculate the depth to fluid. If desired, the explicit
calculation of velocity in equation 1 can be avoided by using equation 3
below. The number of connection echos per inch on the paper recording
(while the echos are discernable) is measured and this echo rate is
applied to the number of inches on the chart representing the time between
the initial blast and the fluid level echo. This is expressed in the
formula
H=R L.sub.a D 3
where
H=distance from the surface to the fluid top, ft
R=number of tubing connection echos per inch on the chart paper,
joints/inch
L.sub.a =average length of the segmented tubing joints, ft
D=measured distance (on the chart paper) between the initial blast and the
fluid level echo, inches.
In recent years, microcomputers have been used to collect, compute and
display fluid level information. The computer is used to record and
display the echos instead of the paper chart device. The methods of
finding fluid level are the same as used in the older methods, but the
techniques are merely implemented with the computer.
Existing technology, either traditional or digital, has certain aspects in
need of improvement.
i) Creation of the noise in the casing in the usual way has inherent
disadvantages. This is because the faint echos from tubing connections
tend to be lost in the noisy initial blast. The initial blast has a
complex character. Consequently, it is necessary to use filtering
techniques (either electronically with the traditional equipment or
digitally with computer based equipment) in order to discern the faint
echos in the noisy background caused by the initial blast.
ii) Inherent errors exist when theoretical relationships are used to
compute the velocity of sound in the gaseous medium.
iii) The sensitive microphone and recording equipment tend to be delicate
and costly.
iv) Determination of tubing joint length can introduce error. Ideally the
tubing joints are measured (tallied) before running into the well. But
this is not always done and the average joint length is often estimated.
Range 2 tubing allows a variation in length from 28 to 32 feet and this
can introduce a large error. Also the tubing joints, even when tallied,
may be run at random and this too introduces error.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention simplifies the process of obtaining a fluid level
measurement. Instead of creating a noise in the casing to produce echos
from the fluid top, a pressure disturbance is caused by quickly venting a
small quantity of casing gas to the atmosphere. This venting is done
rapidly such that the amount of gas emitted is small and not harmful to
the environment or to operating personnel. In fact the venting usually
occurs in less than 0.5 second. In addition to safety and environmental
considerations, the brief duration is desirable because it provides a
sharper wave front on the pressure pulse that reflects off the top of the
fluid. The sharper front improves accuracy in timing the arrival of the
reflected signal. The pressure disturbance so created is simple in wave
form (in this writing, wave form is thought of as the relationship of gas
pressure versus time during the measurement process). In contrast, the
sound created in the traditional way (with gunpowder or release of
pressurized gas) is complex (constituted from high frequencies) and
receipt of echos is more difficult. Also the simple wave form created by
rapid venting in the present invention allows use of relatively simple and
inexpensive pressure sensing equipment.
Another distinctive feature of the present invention concerns measurement
of sound velocity. No need exists to evaluate velocity by sensing minute
echos from tubing connections as in the traditional methods. Instead this
velocity is literally measured in a short length of small diameter coiled
tubing external to the well. Actual gas from the casing is allowed to flow
into the coiled tubing thereby displacing gas remaining from the last
measurement. The gas temperature and pressure are noted and a tiny amount
of gas is allowed to escape at one end of the coiled tubing. The
rarefaction pressure wave so created travels to the other end of the tube
and reflects back to the starting point. Using a pressure transducer and a
fast running analog to digital converter, the round trip time is measured
and applied to the known length of coiled tubing to calculate the sound
velocity. This process is completely analogous to the process of measuring
fluid level in the well itself. The sound velocity so measured in the
coiled tubing is adjusted to the temperature and pressure of the gas in
the well itself and used with equation 1 to determine fluid level.
Measuring sound velocity in the coiled tubing can be quickly done and is
easily comprehended by users of the method. What is unexpected is the
accuracy with which the velocity can be determined in such a short length
of tubing. By keeping the tubing length short and by coiling it, the
apparatus can be light and portable.
The entire process can be automated and computer controlled by using
electrically operated valves to vent the gas. Alternately the gas can be
emitted by a quick operating mechanical valve disclosed in this invention.
The present invention also lends itself to pump off control of a well. The
fluid level measurement process can be implemented repetitively under
timer or computer control. When fluid level reaches a specified depth, the
pumping unit can be caused to 1) stop or 2) to slow down or 3) to pump
more aggressively. Stopping or slowing down allows more fluid to enter the
wellbore from the reservoir. Energy is saved and wear and tear on the
pumping equipment is diminished. Conversely a fluid level too close to the
surface can be used to signal the pumping equipment to continue pumping or
even to pump more aggressively. This would increase production hence
revenue from the well.
Yet another application of the present invention pertains to evaluation of
reservoir productivity. The rate at which reservoir pressure changes when
producing rates are changed is indicative of reservoir size, damage to
inflow capability near the wellbore and maximum pressure attained in the
wellbore after production is halted. The fluid level measurement process
can be implemented repetitively under timer or computer control. The
invention can be made to compute and remember fluid levels taken
systematically versus time as the well pressure adjusts to changing
production rates. Reservoir engineers schooled in the manipulation of such
data can then draw useful conclusions about the well's potential to
produce, ultimate recovery and possible damage near the wellbore.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be more easily understood when described in
conjunction with the drawings in which
FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a borehole showing downhole tubulars and the
apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a measurement of pressure versus time showing the initial
pressure disturbance caused by venting gas and the reflection of that
disturbance off the top of the fluid.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a quick acting mechanical valve suitable for
venting gas from the casing or introducing high pressure gas into the
casing.
FIG. 4 is a top view of the quick acting valve shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 shows how the present invention could be used to perform pump off
control.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown the apparatus of the present
invention installed on a well. Casing 15 penetrates a productive reservoir
21. Inside of the casing segmented well production tubing 16 is shown with
screwed connections or collars 17. Reservoir pressure has caused fluid 20
to stand in the casing to a level 19 which is a distance H from the
surface or a distance S above a reservoir datum. Above the fluid is
hydrocarbon or other gas 18 which is flowing to the surface for sale or
other purposes. Particularly in this invention, the gas provides the
medium which transmits pressure waves important in determining fluid
level. During routine production operations, valve 10 is open which allows
collection of the gas at the surface for recovery and/or sale.
The apparatus pertinent to this invention attaches to the casing downstream
of valve 9 installed in an auxiliary line 11. Valve 8 is an electrically
or manually operated valve for emitting gas from the casing and creating
the pressure disturbance for measuring fluid level. Valve 8 could be for
example a 1 inch pilot operated solenoid valve number 73212BN63N00N0C111C1
manufactured by Honeywell/Skinner Co. of New Britain, Conn. The pressure
transducer, analog to digital converter, amplifier and related electronics
4 are connected to the computer 2 which collects and processes data.
Valves 3,5,6, and 7 are used to measure speed of sound in the coiled
tubing 1 which is shown foreshortened. Valve 6 could be an electrically
operated valve number 71215SN2KV00N0C111C1 made by Honeywell/Skinner Co.
of New Britain, Conn. The coiled tubing may for, example, comprise 150
feet of 3/8 inch diameter stainless steel tubing formed in a coil of
approximately 2 feet in diameter. While stainless steel tubing is
preferable, other materials such as copper or steel may also be used and
the diameter and length may be varied, although at least 150 feet should
be used.
The process begins by measuring the speed of sound in the gaseous material
in the casing. With all valves closed except 3, 5 and 7, gas from the
casing is allowed to fill the coiled tubing. Valve 3 is then closed and
the pressure in the coiled tubing increases to that of the casing gas.
Valve 5 is then closed thereby trapping the sample gas in the coiled
tubing. With the computer and sampling equipment operating, valve 6 is
briefly opened and closed to cause a rarefaction pressure wave to travel
through the coiled tubing to the closed valve 3 and return. The round trip
time is measured and speed of sound is calculated at prevailing pressure
and temperature in the coiled tubing using the formula
V.sub.t =2 L.sub.t /T.sub.t 4
where
L.sub.t =linear length of the coiled tubing, ft
T.sub.t =round trip time of the rarefaction pressure wave induced into the
coiled tubing, sec.
Typical measurements might be
L.sub.t =150 ft
T.sub.t =0.273 sec
V.sub.t =2 (150)/0.273=1099 ft/sec.
Next in the process is determination of fluid level in the well. All valves
except valve 9 are closed. With the computer and sampling equipment
operating, valve 6 is briefly opened and closed to cause a rarefaction
pressure wave to travel down the casing-tubing annulus to the top of the
fluid and return to the surface. The computer determines the round trip
time for the pressure wave and computes the fluid level from
H=0.5 V.sub.c T
where
H=distance from the surface to the fluid level, ft
V.sub.c =previously measured velocity of sound suitably adjusted to
downhole pressure and temperature, ft/sec
T.sub.f =round trip time for the rarefaction disturbance to travel to the
fluid level and return, sec.
Typical measurements might be
T.sub.f =13.254 sec
V.sub.c =1075 ft/sec
H=0.5 (1075) (13.254)=7124 ft from surface.
It is known that the velocity of sound in gas (i.e. the speed of the
induced wave) varies with temperature and pressure. Further it is known
that temperature and pressure vary within the casing-tubing annulus. Thus
a refinement of the process described herein would be to consider the
change of speed and its effect on round trip time of the pressure wave
traveling within the annulus. From direct measurements, oil producers can
determine the temperature of the gas entering the well from the reservoir.
Temperature of the gas leaving the well at the surface can also be
measured. Thus it is possible to make estimates of temperature at various
depths in the annulus knowing entering and exiting temperatures. Further
the pressure of the gas leaving the well at the surface can be measured.
From this and the estimated temperature variation in the annulus, the
pressure of the gas at various depths can be calculated from known laws of
physics and inferred gas gravity. The procedure is to estimate average
temperature and pressure in several depth intervals in the annulus. Then
the average speeds of sound are calculated from gas gravity (inferred from
measured speed in the coiled tubing experiment) and estimated temperature
and pressure in the various annulus intervals. The depth to the fluid
level is then obtained with more precision by considering that the speed
of the induced pressure wave varies with depth.
The quick opening valve 8 which vents gas to create the pressure
disturbance can be electrically or mechanically operated. Any type of
valve may be used providing it can move from a closed position to an open
position and return to a closed position in a short time interval. The
time interval is on the order of a half second or less to insure the
production of a sharp pressure pulse. Electrically operated solonoid
valves made by Honeywell/Skinner have been previously described. Referring
to FIGS. 3 and 4 there is disclosed a mechanical valve being comprised of
a mounting plate 31 which is attached to the valve body 32 with mounting
bolts 33. The support shaft 34 is attached to the valve stem 35. A cam
plate 36 and cocking nut 37 are firmly secured to the support shaft. A
torsion spring 38 is installed around the support shaft with one end of
the spring being anchored in hole 40 in the base plate. The device is
cocked by applying a torque to the cocking nut with a common wrench. As
the cocking nut is turned, the support shaft, cam plate and valve stem
rotate as a unit to tighten and store energy in the torsional spring. When
fully cocked, the trigger lever paw 41 is driven by the compression spring
42 around pivot pin 43 and engages cam shoulder 44 which locks the cam
plate. To operate the valve, a small force is applied to the trigger lever
arm 45. The force can be applied manually or electrically using a
solenoid. When the paw is disengaged from the cam shoulder, the mechanism
abruptly rotates the cam and valve stem using stored energy until the cam
shoulder contacts the stop pin 46. During the operation, the valve ball or
plug is rotated 180 degrees which emits the gas by opening and then
closing the valve.
Another method of using this valve is to install the stop pin in hole 47 in
the mounting plate. This change permits 90 degree rotation of the valve
instead of 180 degree rotation. The valve operates from a closed position
when cocked to a full open position after triggering. The procedure is
used to release compressed gas (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, air, etc.) from
a chamber into the casing annulus for determining an echo from the top of
the fluid.
The present invention also relates to pump-off control of a well.
Information needed to make a control decision usually travels to the
surface through the same medium as that used to transmit energy from the
surface to the downhole pump. In the vast majority of cases, pump off
controls are applied to wells being lifted with sucker rod equipment. Thus
downhole information is transmitted to the surface via the sucker rods.
Most pump off controllers are based on dynamometer cards either at the
surface or at the downhole pump wherein said cards are computed from
surface data. In some cases, unanticipated downhole conditions can confuse
the data traveling to the surface on which pump off decisions are made.
For example if a rod pumped well develops a severe downhole friction
problem, the data which traveled to the surface via the sucker rod would
be altered and perhaps would be rendered useless in making a pump off
decision. In addition the stator of a progressive cavity pump being
actuated with sucker rods might harden because of hydrogen sulfide attack
and the resulting change in friction might confuse a pump off controller
which is deriving its intelligence via the drive train.
Referring to FIG. 5 there is shown an apparatus for controlling the
production from a well using the fluid levels determined by the present
invention. A portion of the well structure of FIG. 1 is shown with the
addition of a pumping unit 50. The pumping unit is a conventional rod
pumping unit that reciprocates the rod string 51 to actuate a downhole
pump (not shown). The production from the downhole pump is removed from
the production tubing 16 of FIG. 1 through a line not shown in FIG. 5. The
gas from the annulus between the well casing and production tubing string
is removed through a suitable production line with the flow controlled by
the valve 10 of FIG. 1.
The fluid level monitor 52 includes the monitoring apparatus described
above with reference to FIG. 1. In addition to the fluid level monitor 52
there is shown a pressure and temperature monitor 53. The monitor 53
samples the gas in the annulus through a line 54 and supplies an
electrical signal 55 to fluid level monitor 52. The electrical signal may
be either analog or digital. The pressure and temperature monitor utilizes
commercially available components that measure pressure and temperatures
and supply related electrical signals. The temperature and pressure
measurements are used to compute the temperature and pressure at a
selected depth in the well. The computed temperature and pressure are used
to adjust the velocity measured as described above for the selected depth
in the well.
The fluid level monitor measures the fluid level in the well at preset
times that can be controlled by a clock. The measured fluid levels are
supplied as an electrical signal 56 to the pump-off controller 57. The
pump-off controller utilizes the fluid level measurements to start and
stop the pumping unit 50. As shown the pumping unit utilizes an electric
motor that can be controlled by controlling the power to the motor.
Alternatively, instead of starting and stopping the motor 58 its speed can
be controlled to vary the rate of pumping the well. Regardless of the
method used for controlling pumping rate the fluid level is maintained
between preset limits that are set by the operator.
While the present invention has described the venting of casing gas to
produce pressure pulses other means may be used. When environmental
considerations require the pressure pulse may be created by releasing
pressurized gas into the casing. The pressure pulse in the coiled tubing
can also be created by the release of pressurized gas into the coiled
tubing. Normally the amount of gas vented from the coiled tubing is small,
i.e. less than 0.1 standard cubic feet and does not create an
environmental problem. The velocity of sound in the casing gas is only
measured at infrequent intervals, for example, once for each well test.
This further reduces the gas that is vented.
An advantage of the present invention is that gas in the casing constitutes
a large (nearly unlimited) supply of energy for creating the pressure wave
and monitoring fluid level on a continuous basis. Should pump off control
be accomplished with traditional fluid level methods, a large quantity of
compressed gas would have to be supplied and replenished as necessary to
create the loud noise necessary to measure velocity and fluid level. Thus
the present invention has an advantage in that the pressure waves are
created with casing gas which is replenished during normal production
operations. Under timer or computer control, the quick acting valve 8 can
be caused to repetitively sense fluid level. When the fluid level 19 is
close to the downhole pump the pump off controller can stop the pumping
unit. In stopping the unit, lifting energy is saved and wear and tear on
the artificial lift equipment is diminished. After a preset resting
period, the controller can start the pumping unit again and repeat the
process. A disadvantage of conventional pump off controllers is that the
resting period must be set by trial and error. The present invention could
be taught to resume pumping, not after a preset time has elapsed, but
after the fluid level has risen sufficiently. Another variation would be
to slow the rate of pumping rather than stopping it entirely. This would
be advantageous in wells which produce sand which tends to fall back and
stick the pump when pumping is stopped entirely. Should fluid level 19 be
sufficiently close to the surface, the controller could instruct the
pumping equipment to continue operating. A variation would be to instruct
the pumping equipment to pump faster thereby increasing production and
income from the well.
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